Chapter 381 Phil Jackson: We Are at War with God!

"Get down here!"

Gritting his teeth, he jumped up and before Zhao Dong was about to hit him, his raised hands suddenly pressed down.

This time on defense, he was either going for the ball or trying to pull Zhao Dong down.

This defensive action is of course a foul, because his arms have exceeded his cylinder, and his arms are pressing down. This is a redundant action, and it is a foul if it touches the attacker.

Just as Zhao Dong was about to hit O'Neal, he was pulled down by the latter.

Fortunately, O'Neal didn't dare to really let Zhao Dong fall and get hurt. While pulling him down, he hugged the latter.

"Beep!"

The referee blew the whistle and pointed at O'Neal. Zhao Dong made two free throws.

In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Liji said: "O'Neal committed two fouls, and Zhao Dong also committed two fouls. In this attack, Zhao Dong was very strong. Although O'Neal blocked his offense with a foul action, in fact, his offensive purpose was achieved. , causing damage to O'Neal."

Su Qun said: "If we fight like this a few more times, O'Neal will be in trouble."

Zhang Lili said: "But be careful not to get hurt. O'Neal protected Zhao Dong just now, but it won't be possible next time."

After two swipes, Zhao Dong made consecutive free throws and the Lakers attacked.

This time when Marion was assisting in defense, O'Neal under the basket chose to distribute the ball to Glen Rice who was left open. Rice hit a three-pointer.

Phil Jackson nodded repeatedly off the court. In the Bulls, he never had a strong center, but in the Lakers, he has O'Neal, the strongest center with unparalleled dominance under the basket, which allows his triangle offense to create more offensive space. .

That is, O'Neal compresses the opponent's defense in the low post, and then creates open shooting opportunities for the outside, just like what he did just now.

53:63, the Knicks lead by 10 points.

"Glen Rice scored five points in a row in the second half. This was the result of Marion continuously letting him go to help defend O'Neal. Ginobili's change of defense was not fast enough."

Barkley reminded in the live broadcast booth.

"Manu, change defense faster, faster." Fan yelled at Ginobili on the sidelines.

Ginobili gasped and nodded. His physical strength was no longer good.

Can't run anymore.

Since entering the NBA, he has been the main player from the regular season to the finals. Such a long schedule has long exhausted his physical reserves.

After O'Neal strengthened his distribution, the Knicks were in trouble again on the defensive end.

O'Neal played when there was a single opportunity under the basket, and when he didn't, he scored the ball. Kobe and Glenn Rice got a lot of open spaces on the left and right wings. They kept taking shots, and their outside shooting percentage was obviously higher than in the first half.

However, although the Lakers have improved their efficiency on the perimeter, the Lakers have nothing to do with the Knicks on the defensive end because they cannot guard against Zhao Dong's offense.

Zhao Dong fought against the possibility of being pulled down by O'Neal and injured, and continuously attacked O'Neal.

In the first four minutes of the third quarter, O'Neal committed two consecutive fouls and received his third foul. This directly made O'Neal shrink back. The result was that when Zhao Dong attacked him again, he withdrew from the basket.

As a result, Zhao Dong became even more unscrupulous in attacking the basket. In the third quarter, he scored 14 points with consecutive shots and penalties, and scored 47 points in the third quarter.

At the end of the third quarter, 70:80, the Knicks led by 10 points.

Barkley laughed: "After O'Neal failed to attack twice at the beginning of the third quarter, he reduced his strong play at the basket. He played smarter, using his dominance at the basket to create opportunities for the outside. The advantage of this is that his physical energy consumption is greatly reduced, and the team scores a lot of points."

Smith praised: "But what surprises me is that there is no limit to Feilong's physical fitness? Although he only scored 14 points in the third quarter, he invested more energy on the defensive end. How much physical energy is consumed? But He's still pounding O'Neal."

Barkley shook his head and smiled: "Don't explore his physical limits. I can tell you very accurately, no, I am his teammate, and my words are true. He has no physical limits. He is an iron man, a real iron man." .

In addition, O'Neal did not dare to defend after three fouls, so although Feilong kept attacking the basket, his physical energy consumption should not be too great. "

Smith nodded and said: "In a single quarter, he made 5 of 7 shots and 4 of 4 free throws. His shots in the third quarter were still limited, not too many."

In the CCTV live broadcast, Zhang Lili analyzed: "The Lakers are ten points behind. If they don't exert their strength in the final quarter, there will be no chance of regaining the game.

It is very difficult to get ten points back from the Knicks, because Zhao Dong's efficiency is too high. "

"Coach Zhang, if the Lakers want to come back, how do you think they should fight?" Su Qun asked.

Zhang Li thought for a while and said: "There is only one way. O'Neal must find a way to hit the basket more and not distribute the ball too much.

He distributed too many balls in the third quarter. Although his outside efficiency was higher than in the first half, it was far less efficient than his efficiency under the basket. If he could play more under the basket, the score would definitely be more efficient. "

In front of the Lakers bench, Phil Jackson was arranging tactics for O'Neal.

Although there are two outsiders with strong offensive capabilities, Kobe Bryant and Glen Rice, the core of the offense has always been O'Neal. This is the core and most critical corner of his triangle tactics.

He said confidently: "Through the distribution of the ball in the third quarter, we opened up the perimeter. The Knicks must not dare to double-team Shaq in the low post. Then in the last quarter, Shaq began to work hard in the low post. We have to play high-quality baskets." Attack next.

But we must pay attention to the outside line to connect with Shaq, but I don't want the open space on the outside line, because we are now ten points behind, we need to chase points, and we need to play a more efficient offense.

So, after Shaq withdraws from the basket, I need you to cut inside and shoot at the basket. "

Then he made demands on the defensive end, saying: "Kobe, you and Ron need to step up the pressing on Ginobili. He is a rookie and his physical fitness is almost the same after playing. He is our opportunity."

At the beginning of the final quarter, in the first half of the quarter, the Lakers played a surprising offense.

O'Neal, who got a rest in the third quarter, began to exert his strength. After getting close to the basket, he made consecutive shots in double teams. While scoring, he also caused Zhao Dong and Marion to commit a foul each.

The Knicks stepped up their defense against O'Neal. O'Neal had no chance at the basket, so he pulled out of the basket. Then Kobe and Glen Rice began to cut inside frequently, and they launched a 14:8 attack wave in half a quarter. 84:88, narrowing the point difference to 4 points.

The Knicks failed to do a good job defensively, and encountered the Lakers' strong defense from the outside on the offensive end. Ginobili made consecutive mistakes, and the Knicks were stopped twice in the half quarter.

Barkley said solemnly: "The defensive end was not done well. On the offensive end, the back line made continuous mistakes. The Knicks must be careful not to lose the must-win G1 game."

The timeout ended and Zhao Dong took over the ball.

Ginobili sat on the bench and made two turnovers in the first six minutes of the final quarter. It was precisely because of his mistakes that the Lakers seized the opportunity to narrow the score.

The Knicks have Willis and Gary Trent on the inside, Rodgers on the forward line, and Stack Howe at shooting guard. All four of them are pulled apart. The first two are pulled to the wings, and the latter two are pulled directly to the left and right wings for three-pointers. on-line.

For the Lakers, O'Neal and Horry were also pulled away from the basket and guarded outside the left and right sides of the paint area.

Bang bang bang, Zhao Dong pushed the ball to the top of the arc, Kobe switched to guard him, and Harper went to guard Stackhouse.

"squeak!"

As soon as he reached the top of the arc, Zhao Dong suddenly exerted force on his feet, his sneakers made a harsh friction sound, and he directly stepped past Kobe.

Kobe Bryant didn't have much physical energy left after playing until now. His reaction was a bit slow and his foot movements were also slow. After being surprised, he instinctively reached out and pulled Zhao Dong's arm. Then the whistle sounded and Zhao Dong made two free throws.

He shook his hand in annoyance, he really hated the rule of illegal use of hands in high positions.

"Look at Feilong's physical fitness. He still maintains a very good speed. As an inside player, his physical fitness is even better than that of Kobe Bryant, a defender. Kobe's reaction and speed are obviously not as good as him." TNT live broadcast seat , Smith marveled.

Barkley smiled: "At the critical moment, physical fitness determines the state, determines the final efficiency, and determines the final...win or lose."

After a quick hit, Zhao Dong made two consecutive free throws, 84:90, and the Lakers attacked.

"Snapped!"

Looking back, Zhao Dong suddenly double-teamed Harper at the top of the arc, cut off his ball, and immediately launched a fast break from the outside.

"boom!"

Even though Kobe was chasing after him desperately and his energy was exhausted, he was still two steps behind Zhao Dong. At this time, Zhao Dong still had enough energy to complete a flying dunk, which made Madison Square Garden burst into applause.

After Zhao Dong served as point guard, the Lakers not only were unable to continue to cause the Knicks' mistakes in this position, but were defeated by Zhao Dong, because no one on the outside of the Lakers could guard Zhao Dong, and Zhao Dong faced any outside line. , all have huge dislocation advantages.

At the last moment, he had the physical advantage and the mismatch advantage on the outside, smashing the Lakers' defense line and establishing the victory.

In the 11th minute of the final quarter, 92:102, the point difference reached double digits again, and the Lakers called a final timeout.

Zhang Lili breathed a sigh of relief and said: "At this point, I think the Knicks have won this victory. It's not easy!"

Su Qun nodded and said: "O'Neal has scored 38 points, with a shooting percentage of 72%, which is very efficient. Kobe and Glenn Rice also scored 26 points and 21 points respectively, with shooting percentages of 53% and 46.5% respectively. , the Lakers' overall shooting percentage reached 52%, and their performance today was really very strong.

But Zhao Dong performed better, making 23 of 34 shots from the field, a shooting percentage of 67.6%, and 13 of 14 free throws. He scored 59 points, 18 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, 4 blocks, 1 turnover and 4 fouls. "

In the TNT live broadcast, Barkley smiled excitedly: "The historical record for a single game in the Finals is Elgin Baylor's 61 points. Kim Baylor happens to be a Lakers star, so today, Feilong is very likely to break this record."

Smith said expectantly: "Three points. As long as Feilong scores three more points, it can break this record."

The timeout ended and the Lakers attacked. O'Neal and Zhao Dong worked hard on both offense and defense, but without Zhao Dong's physical fitness, he could no longer play and was pushed outside the paint area by Zhao Dong.

Harper passed the ball, and O'Neal took a look at the ball. The Knicks didn't double-team him again, so he started dribbling inward.

He tried his best to arch twice, took two small half steps, stepped into the paint area, then swayed left and right, then stood up and hit a side hook.

His physical strength was exhausted, and this little hook didn't jump at all.

"Snapped!"

Even after fighting to this point, Zhao Dong still maintained strong physical fitness. When his figure suddenly rose, he directly confiscated O'Neal's hook with a slap.

"yeah!"

The hat-grabbing hook, and it was O'Neal's hook, made Madison Square Garden boiling, and the home fans cheered and shouted.

This cap grab directly broke the last bit of morale of the Lakers.

Zhao Dong later hit a two-pointer, which tied Kim Baylor's record, but failed to break it and tied for first.

At the end, 94:104, the Knicks won the G1 game.

After the game, Zhao Dong accepted an on-site interview.

"Feilong, congratulations. You scored 61 points in this game, which is tied with Kim Baylor's single-game scoring record in the finals for the first place in history."

CCTV reporter Yang Yi said excitedly.

"Really? I haven't noticed this yet." Zhao Dong said happily.

"Feilong, your shooting percentage in this game was as high as 68.5%. You were still in excellent condition at the end of the game. You played a very dominant performance. How did you do it?"

Thomas, the reporter accompanying the team, said excitedly.

“If I want to do it, I can do it.”

Zhao Dong took the towel handed over by Ginobili and said while wiping his sweat: "Human beings have limits, but we can break this limit."

Kobe happened to be passing by and heard Zhao Dong's words of pretending to be 13. He couldn't help but be startled, and his movements of wiping sweat slowed down.

"Breaking the limits of the human body? How to break it? More cruel training?" He murmured as he walked.

"What's your comment on the Lakers' performance tonight?" Thomas asked again.

"They performed very well. The OK combination is indeed a historical dual-core combination. They can even be said to be the most powerful combination in history...the black and white duo and the email combination are nothing..."

Zhao Dong praised the OK group vigorously, so that he could appear more powerful after defeating the OK group.

"Are we so strong?"

This is O'Neal passing by again. Hearing Zhao Dong's extremely complimentary words, my heart is surging!

An hour later, the post-match press conference for both sides began.

"Coach Jackson, you lost to the Knicks and the Dragons again. Do you have anything to say about this?"

a Los Angeles Sports reporter asked.

If you want to say who feels the most uncomfortable right now, it must be Phil Jackson, because as the reporter who asked the question said, with such a strong OK combination and starting lineup, he once again lost to the Knicks, but once again Defeated by Zhao Dong.

Thinking of Zhao Dong's terrifying efficiency and scoring ability, as well as his seemingly inexhaustible physical fitness, his heart was trembling, and a sense of powerlessness was constantly destroying his belief in victory.

Due to psychological reasons, his face is now very bad, pale, and his hands and feet are cold.

"Today...today's game..."

He opened his mouth, but his voice became hoarse for no reason, making him unable to speak.

O'Neal and Kobe both turned to look at Phil Jackson in surprise.

But Phil Jackson had to continue and said with a louder voice: "We have done well enough, but, but, Feilong, he did better than us, he once again played the efficiency of the God of Efficiency... We , fighting against God..."

His tone was very serious, but as a dynasty coach, he still had a strong desire for victory in his heart, so he forcibly cheered up and said:

"But even if we are fighting against God, we still have to defeat him. We must have greater courage. We must... kill God!"

"We are at war with God!"

Phil Jackson's words made the front pages of countless media outlets across the United States the next day and were widely spread around the world.

"We want to kill the gods!"

Similarly, his words were used as the title of articles by many media in Los Angeles and caught the eyes of countless people.

The Los Angeles media tried to use this sentence to inspire the Lakers' morale and courage.

"Kill God? Don't even think about it!"

On the third day, the New York Times hit back at the Los Angeles media with this headline.

The two most powerful media groups in the United States have begun a fierce battle for sales. The intensity is definitely no less intense than the finals between the Knicks and the Lakers.

On this day, the 30th, the G2 game of the finals started.

The format of the finals is two-three-two. After the G2 game, the Knicks will have three away games. Therefore, everyone in the Knicks hopes to win this game as much as possible and go to Los Angeles with two home wins.

However, the coaching staff is not very confident because the two rookies, Ginobili and Marion, are not in good condition and have serious physical problems.

One is the starting main guard, and the other is the important rotation main small forward at the third position. They have a great impact on the team.

Nelson made the decision to put Zhao Dong at the No. 1 position and Ginobili into the substitute lineup.

At the same time, the rotation lineup has also been expanded, and substitutes who have little playing time, such as John Wallace, have also entered the rotation.

At the same time, he asked Zhao Dong to strengthen his attack on O'Neal and strive to knock down the Lakers' strongest point.

Lakers: O'Neal, Ben Wallace, Glen Rice, Kobe Bryant, Ron Harper.

Knicks: Willis, Gary Trent, Rodney Rogers, Stackhouse, Zhao Dong.

When Barkley saw the list, he shook his head and sighed: "The inside line is too weak, and they will be beaten by the Sharks on both offense and defense."

Smith laughed and said: "According to internal news from the Knicks, Ginobili's physical fitness has collapsed and he can only play as a substitute. The Knicks have no choice but to let Feilong play at the one position. Although O'Neal can beat the Knicks inside, but Feilong can also beat the Lakers' perimeter."

Barkley smiled and said: "Ron Harper is old. I bet that the one facing Feilong will be Kobe Bryant. He will be miserable today."

Smith laughed and nodded in agreement.

In the visiting team's locker room, Phil Jackson is doing the final ideological work for the players, stimulating their potential, which is his best skill.

"We can't lose anymore. We must be mentally prepared for a decisive battle with God. Apart from killing God, we have no other way..."

He said with passion.

"Then kill the gods!"

Kobe clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

"Now, let's do another meditation, which can help us focus more mentally and allow us to be more focused on the game."

Phil Jackson said.

O'Neal and Kobe rolled their eyes at the same time. They were going to sleep, so let's take a nap.